academic-outreach

The Open Data Academic Outreach program is designed to have engagement with the academic community including students, researchers, and faculty who can use data for research and other developmental use. The ultimate goal is to setup Open Data clubs in Universities to engage continuously with the Ghana Open Data Initiative.
Objective

The Objective of the open data academic outreach program is to:
1. Create awareness of the existence of the GODI portal and the Initiative
2. Solicit input to datasets to be published on the National Open Data portal
3. Solicit policy and data use research from the academic community for the development of the Ghana Open Data Initiative
4. Engage in ecosystem activity including hackathons and open data challenges
5. Establishment of Open data clubs in the Universities for continuous engagement with the Ghana Open Data Initiative

Expected Outcome

The expected outcome for the Open Data Academic Outreach program:

• Active involvement of the Academic Community in the National Data Revolution
• Established Open Data Clubs actively contributing to Open Data activities and participating in demand-side activities such as Hackathon and challenges.
• Developed channels for input into research and policy on open data.

Initial Activity on the Academic Outreach

The initial activity is fora at six select universities to sensitize the community on opening up government data and the digital revolution. A three-hour event that will include a talk on the Ghana Open Data Initiative, the Ghana Open Data Alliance, and an hour’s panel discussion with a research fellow, IT staff/developer, and a student joining the panel. A Q & A session on topics discussed and the establishment of an open data club will end the program.
Conclusion

Academic Outreach is a very important activity in the journey to Ghana’s data revolution. Successful academic community involvement will make the GODI a very successful initiative.